New Jersey Begins Construction on Modern Women’s Prison, Marking End of Edna Mahan Era
After decades of criticism at Edna Mahan, New Jersey is developing a Burlington County women’s jail. Governor Phil Murphy, state authorities, and campaigners dubbed the ceremony a criminal justice reform turning point.
The NJDOC will hold 420 convicts on 33 acres at Chesterfield women’s jail. The facility will have modern design, better security, and mental health and rehabilitation housing, officials added.
The 2020 U.S. Department of Justice report revealed that correctional staff routinely assaulted women inmates physically and sexually at Edna Mahan, New Jersey’s sole women’s jail, after years of abuse, neglect, and sexual violence. A nationwide violent cell extraction broadcast next year. Officials initially minimized violence.
Governor Murphy called Edna Mahan a “shameful symbol” of institutional failure. He said the new institution encourages safety, accountability, and dignity—a new start. “Today we begin a new chapter for criminal justice in New Jersey,” Murphy stated.
The state closed Edna Mahan in 2021 after public outcry and investigative research uncovered chronic malfeasance. During construction, Chesterfield housed prisoners. Victoria Kuhn, New Jersey’s first female prisons commissioner, said the new facility will meet the administration’s promise to treat women with dignity and safety. Reforms include education, mental health, monitor committees, and COBs.
Murphy pardoned Speaker Myrna Diaz. After 14 years for a 2006 Newark robbery, Diaz expects the new prison will promote rehabilitation and advancement. “We stand at the edge of something new,” she said. Change and opportunity meet here.”
Though encouraging, the transition divides. A Hunterdon County judge threw out indictments against over a dozen former Edna Mahan employees accused of abuse last month because they could not be refiled. The AG will appeal.
Governor Murphy, who has granted the most clemencies in New Jersey, sees the groundbreaking as a political milestone and an attempt to modify jail policy. Chesterfield backers believe it will create a national standard for humane corrections, while others say transparency and supervision are necessary to avoid history.
As construction begins, New Jersey must demonstrate that this new chapter symbolizes justice redefined—not simply a new structure but a renewed commitment to dignity and accountability for all incarcerated women.
Sources
NJ Advance Media
New Jersey Department of Corrections statements
Governor Phil Murphy’s press remarks
U.S. Department of Justice report findings
